3 Kingdoms
by SmilesAndSprinkles
Summary: A long time ago, there lived 3 kingdoms named Rosewood, Ravenswood, and Philadelphia. But problems arose. Princess Aria is betrothed to a man she doesn't love, Spencer has fallen for the prince, Hanna's true love gets kidnapped, and all Emily wants is to set foot outside the castle. Will they bind together to solve their problems? Ezria, Haleb, Spoby, and Paily. Rated T to be safe
1. Chapter 1

**hey ya'll! The summary pretty much says what this is about, so I hope you enjoy! Oh, and I own nothing.** Hazel eyes fluttered open that morning. That special morning. The morning the kingdom of Rosewood gained a Princess. A beautiful baby girl that the king and queen named Aria. The tired queen, Queen Ella, smiled down at the bundle of joy in her arms, and her husband King Byron even shed a tear. "Sweetheart, I am so sorry to bring this up now, but you and I both know that we must choose a suitor for her before the day is up," Byron regrettably brought up. Queen Ella sighed. "I know, we've put it off long enough, but I think I've reached a decision on who to choose, if his mother will allow," Ella looked at her baby girl thoughtful, who stared back up at her. "Who have you chosen, darling?" the king asked. "You know that family, the Fitz's?" the queen asked her husband. "The servant family?" he asked, a bit stunned. "Yes, they have a little boy who is five years old, I believe," Queen Ella said. "He's not royalty though," King Byron pointed out. "I've bended a few rules. If we are to pick a man for her at this age, I want him to come from a good family, and not a completely different kingdom. The Fitz's are a good and trustworthy. I trust them to raise a fine boy. I've arranged it that if we knight him when he becomes of age, he is eligible to marry her and be king," Queen Ella said. "I agree. They are a fine family," King Byron said. "So it's settled then. We'll ask Mrs. Fitz this afternoon," the queen said. - "Oh my, he's absolutely gorgeous!" the Queen of Philadelphia gushed again and again over her new son. "Yes he is, darling," the king agreed. "We still haven't named him," the queen commented. "You're right. But I think we both know what we want to call him," the king said. "Tobias," the queen said and smiled. The king just nodded and smiled. Suddenly, the doors to the throne room burst open. "Your majesty's, we have brought in several nannies to tend to your child's every need," a servant said as he bowed before his rulers. The queen sighed in frustration as a nanny that looked to want to feed him tried to take him away. "I think we're quite alright looking after this baby on our own, but thank you," the queen said annoyed. All of the nannies scurried out, and the king and queen both let out a heavy breath. "I don't want our son to grow up like this, people attending to his every need. I want him to be at least semi-normal," the queen said sadly. "I agree, but it's not like we have a choice. He was born into this castle, not the village," the king said. The queens face suddenly brightened. "I have an idea!" the queen said enthusiastically. "What is it?" the king asked hopefully. "What if we send him to school as a normal child!" the queen said grinning. "But sweetheart, there are some bad people out there, greedy for money. I don't even want to think of what they'll do to get it," the king said with a shudder. "That's the beauty of it; no one will know! We'll put him in villager's clothes, make him a bit dirty, and simply call him Toby! What do you think?" the queen asked excitedly. "You know, I think it's just crazy enough to work!" the king said after thinking it over for a moment. - "Hush, little Spencer," Veronica Hastings hushed her crying baby as her husband Peter walked in the door. He had just dropped their older daughter Melissa off at school. Exhaustion was written all over his face, and it nearly broke Veronica's heart. "Hi, honey," Peter said as he forced a smile. "Peter, don't give me that. You need a day off from the mines," Veronica told him. He had been working double shifts to take care of his incredibly poor family, who was hanging on by a thread. "No way. Money is already tight, with you having to leave work and all..." his voice trailed off as Veronica grabbed parchment and a quill and started to write. "What are you writing?" "A list of things that our nanny will need to know when she takes care of Spencer," Veronica said simply. "When is a nanny taking care of Spencer?" Peter asked. "I'm going back to work. You cannot physically provide for this family on your own," she answered, her eyes never leaving the parchment in front of her. "Veronica, you know you don't have to do this. You hate working at the bakery," Peter commented. "I can live with it. You, on the other hand, need to go back to only working the day shift," Veronica told him. "You're the best," Peter smiled a real smile this time. She smiled back. "I know." **Sorry this chapter was so short, I was just trying to give you an idea of what's going on. Chapter 1 and 2 are already typed, so expect more chapters soon. Thanks, and please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**3 KINGDOMS**

**Chapter 2**

The king and queen of Rosewood were loving and excellent rulers, and they led Rosewood into an age of perseverance. They also were very good to their hardworking servants, all of whom adored the king and queen. On this particular day, there was a great celebration to happen, for the king and queen had just welcomed into the world a beautiful baby girl. Kings and queens, lords and ladies, princes and princesses all gathered in Rosewood to greet the little princess.

Because of the large crowds gathering in the castle, the servants were harder at work than ever. They scrubbed dishes, set tables, decorated ballrooms, made beds, washed table cloth, and did it all with a smile on their faces, for they were happy to do it for the king and queen.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please bow for the king and queen of Rosewood!" a Harold entered the servant's quarters.

"Please Martin, please. There is no need for that," the king chuckled as they entered the room.

"Your majesty's, what brings you here?" a servant named Amelia asked as she bowed in their presence.

"We have come to speak with Mrs. Fitz," the queen replied as she greeted each servant. "And if it was alright, we would like little Aria to meet her little one."

"Over here, your majesty," a voice called from the other side of the room. The king and queen, the queen holding baby Aria, made their way to the voice.

"Hello, Mrs. Fitz. How are you this fine afternoon?" the queen asked politely.

"I'm very well, thank you, your majesty," the mother said as she sat in a rocking chair with knitting needles. A little boy playing with toy horses was at her feet.

"Look, Aria. A friend!" the king said as they were provided another chair for the queen.

"Hi there, Ezra. How are you today?" the queen asked the little boy as she sat down.

"Good," the boy said in a sing-song voice as a smile spread across his face. The queen returned the smile, then directed her attention back to Mrs. Fitz as Ezra ran off with a few other servant children.

"Let me get straight to the point. As you know, Aria is a princess and will one day inherit the throne. But, she needs a king to rule alongside her," the queen said. The servant mother nodded.

"My husband and I have recently learned that we will have to betroth her to someone by this evening, and, I know this is a lot to ask, but when Ezra is of age, would he be willing to take my Aria as his wife?" the queen asked nicely. The mother of Ezra was stunned silent. When she could finally speak she took a deep breath and looked over at Ezra, who was giggling and laughing with his friends.

"But don't you have to betroth her to some sort of royalty?" she asked.

"Well, we looked into that. We thought about betrothing her to a prince from another kingdom, but we know that Ezra comes from a good family, and he will be perfectly fit to marry our princess. But, that arises another problem, he is not royalty. So we did some research and got some rules changed a bit. When he is old enough, he can become a knight. And that apparently counts as royalty," the queen told the surprised woman. The woman thought it over.

"If you would like, we can give you some time to think and come back later," the king said.

"No, that's quite alright. I've reached a decision," the woman said and sighed a bit.

"And?" the king gently pushed.

"And I know he would be honored to marry a girl like Aria. You can count Ezra in," the woman said as she smiled a bit.

"Wow, I cannot thank you enough for this. We are truly grateful to have such amazing staff, and friends for that matter. I will see you all at the ball tonight, but I want you to come as guests, not as workers!" the queen announced as her and the king exited. A loud eruption of cheers followed their exit.

Mrs. Fitz looked over at her little boy.

"I hope I made the right decision," she whispered.

In the neighboring kingdom of Ravenswood, a similar scenario was happening; the kingdom was celebrating the birth of a child; a prince. The queen of Ravenswood was more of a hateful person, along with the king. They both hated children, were terrible to their staff and treated peasants like dirt. The only reason they didn't put their son up for adoption is because of the fame he gave them, and because they needed a successor to the throne one day. So while the king and queen partied, or 'celebrated' their son's birth, the little boy laid in his room alone, crying out of hunger and loneliness. This continued for a little bit longer before a young woman servant heard the cries and rushed into the bedroom.

"Oh my goodness," she exclaimed as she scooped up the boy and cradled him in her arms. His cries softened.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay," she soothed. "Stewart!" she called, and a teenage boy rushed in.

"What is it, Celia?" he asked the girl.

"Go get a bottle of hot milk, please," she said nicely. So Stewart rushed out of the room as she rocked him some more.

"I just can't believe the king and queen would host a celebration for your birth, then totally forget about you!" Celia whispered angrily. Stewart soon returned with the milk. Celia took it and fed the boy, singing to him softly.

"I promise that as you grow up and your parents neglect you, I'll always be here to take care of you," she vowed quietly.

As the king and queen chatted with royalty from other kingdoms, the queen suddenly remembered their son who was all alone. She tugged on her husband's arm.

"We should probably go check on the brat," she said annoyed. The king sighed.

"I suppose you're right. Man, I wish we still had no kids."

So the king and queen rushed up the stairs and into the bedroom to find the servant girl feeding the prince.

"What on Earth do you think you're doing, young lady?" the queen demanded angrily, startling the young woman.

"I- I uh, I heard him crying so I thought he may be hungry," Celia stammered.

"It is not your place to decide when it needs to eat," the queen walked up to Celia, who was scared to death.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I just thought that your majesties were busy downstairs and you didn't want to be bothered," she explained herself.

"Shut up!" the queen yelled and slapped Celia in the face. "You can sleep in the dungeon tonight. Come back upstairs when you've had an attitude adjustment." When Celia let out a cry of pain, the little prince started wailing. Celia hurried out of the room, absolutely fed up with the king and queen, but also scared of them.

"Oh heavens! Shut it up!" the queen yelled at her husband as the little boy continued to wail.

"Hey, darling, since he will one day be king, don't you think we ought to name him?" the king suddenly suggested. The queen thought it over.

"I guess we'll call it Caleb."

Veronica Hastings sat in the first room of the two-roomed cabin that she lived in, rocking the baby girl she had welcomed days before, when 6 year old Melissa skipped through the front door.

"Hi Mommy!" she yelled as she and Peter entered the home.

"Hi, sweetie! How was school?" Veronica asked as she turned her attention towards her first born.

"Great! I learned how to spell K-I-N-G and Q-U-E-E-N!" she exclaimed happily.

"What does that spell?" Peter asked as he shut the door.

"I don't know!" she exclaimed again.

"Well what's the point of spelling if you don't know what you're spelling?" Veronica chuckled. Before Melissa could answer, the sound of royal trumpets blared from outside. Peter and Veronica both sighed.

"What is it?" a curious Melissa asked.

"That would be the K-I-N-G and Q-U-E-E-N," Peter chuckled to himself. Veronica also chuckled as the small family made their way outside.

"Hear ye, hear ye, the honorable king and queen request your presence at their announcement this afternoon at twelve o'clock, right on the hour. Please arrive right outside the palace gates, and you will be welcomed inside," the Harold read from a scroll, before him and the royal trumpetmen rode away on white horses.

"Are we going to the castle?" Melissa asked.

"Yes, we are," Veronica sighed.

"So I get to wear my special dress?" Melissa asked excitedly.

"Yes, little princess. Yes you do," Veronica ruffled her brown locks as they went back inside the cabin.

"Yay! I'm going to go get changed!" Melissa yelled before running into the room where the family slept.

"I wonder what the king and queen are announcing today," Peter wondered.

I don't know, but we should probably get ready. What time is it now?" Veronica asked. Peter pulled a small pocket watch out of his jacket.

"It's eleven o'clock right now, and it'll take thirty minutes to get up to the castle. So yes, we should probably get ready," Peter said.

"Alrighty then," Veronica sighed.

Exactly one hour later, the little family was right outside the gates of the castle, along with every other family in Philadelphia.

"Everyone make way!" came a loud voice. As everyone backed away from the gates, they started to open. And as soon as they were wide enough, everyone flooded inside, including the Hastings. Once everyone was in, the king and queen appeared on a balcony, followed by booming applause from the villagers. But what was that the queen was holding?

"Thank you all so much for coming here today," the king began. "As our Harold told you, we have a very important announcement to make," he went on.

"I think most of you know that every kingdom needs an heir to the throne," the queen said. The kingdom broke out in smiles, because they knew exactly what this meant.

"That's right. My husband and I, as of three weeks ago, are the proud parents of Tobias," the queen said, grinning, and gestured towards the bundle in her arms.  
>Once again, the entire kingdom erupted in applause and congratulatory shouts.<p>

"Once again, I would like to thank you all for coming up here, and have a safe trip home," the king said as he and the queen waved to the people and disappeared back into the castle.

"Guess it's time to go home," Peter said as the Hastings found their way to their horses and wagon.

"That went fantastic," the queen said after her and the king were in the castle.

"Yes it did," the king agreed. All of a sudden, a young servant came into the room.

"Your majesties," she bowed.

"Hello, Mary," the queen said.

"Hello, ma'am. I have a bit of news," the servant shifted her weight before continuing.

"Someone left a baby girl outside the main entrance after your gathering. It was in a basket so everyone assumed it was a gift," Mary handed the queen a bundle.

"Oh my," the king said as the couple looked at her.

"Look, there's a note," the queen commented as she looked it over.

"Oh my goodness," she whispered after reading it. A tear slid down her cheek.

"What is it?" asked the king.

"she- she doesn't have any family," the queen whispered. The king just nodded.

"What are we going to do?" he asked softly.

"I have an idea. Mary, would you please send for Alice?" the wise queen asked.

"Right away, your highness," the young servant bowed then scurried away.

"So are you suggesting she work in the castle?" the king asked skeptically.

"What other choice do we have?" the queen sighed and looked at the baby in her arms and her son who was sleeping in a crib in the corner of the room.

"Tobias will be the same age as her," the queen commented.

A few moments later, a middle-to-late-aged servant woman came into the room and bowed in the presence of her rulers.

"Hello, Alice," the queen greeted. "How are you this morning?"

"Very well, thank you, your highness. And yourself?" the nice woman said cheerfully.

"Well, at the moment I have a bit of a situation. You see, after our big announcement, someone left a baby girl in front of the castle. And we were hoping you wouldn't mind raising her," the queen said. Alice's mouth formed a smile. She and her husband had been trying for a child up until his tragic death, but they never succeeded. The thought of finally raising a little kid appealed to her.

"I would be honored, your majesty," she breathed, still in disbelief. The queen smiled and handed her the baby.

"Now, if I may ask, what are you going to name her?" the queen asked the beaming woman. Alice looked at the tan girl with dark hair and big brown eyes.

"I think I'll call her Emily."

**A/N- as you can see, a few things are different from the actual show. Chapter 3 is typed, so it will be up soon. Thanks, and please review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 2**

**7 years later**

"Caleb Rivers, if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times! Go outside and collect the stablemen's supper dishes!" the queen screamed at her young son.

"I'm sorry, mother but may I just do it in the morning? It's storming really bad out there," the boy said fearfully as his mother's face steamed up.

"I don't care if there is a hurricane! When I tell you to go outside, you get yourself outside!" she bellowed.

"Yes ma'am," Caleb said quickly. He grabbed his cloak and his boots and sprinted out the front doors, making a b-line for the big barn. Rain pounded against his face and thunder rang in his ears. He finally got to the barn, and started to catch his breath. He quickly collected the dishes that the stablemen put right outside the door for his convenience, and prepared himself for the long run up to the castle. So off he went, ignoring the rain beating against him and the water inside of his boots.

He was almost to the castle when he heard what sounded like a whimper. He stopped running. He attempted to block out the noise. He strained his ears trying to hear it again.

"Help me!" came a small voice. Caleb dropped the plates and glasses in his hands and tried his best to follow the sound.

"Help me!" He heard again, a little louder this time.

"Where are you?" Caleb cried desperately. He was right up against the brick walls of the palace.

"Please help me!" the voice cried back in despair. Caleb was positive the voice was coming from the other side of the wall. The only problem was that the wall was ten feet tall. Caleb began to panic; he had to help whoever was on the other side. He wracked his brain for some kind of idea to get over the wall and back again.

"Can you move?" Caleb shouted into the wind and thunder. He figured he could just direct the person to the front gates, then hopefully slip them inside.

"I'm stuck!" the voice called back, then started crying.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" the overwhelmed boy shouted. He ran to the front of the castle and to the big gates. He looked at the bars in front of him. He was definitely small enough to fit through. But he had never been outside the palace walls before. But someone was in trouble, and he felt it was his job to save them. So he took a deep breath and easily slipped through the gates. He sprinted to where seemed to be the opposite side of the wall he was just on.

"I'm here!" he yelled.

"Help me!" the voice whimpered. Caleb ducked behind a bush and saw a small, dark figure huddled up against the wall. Caleb crawled over to the figure and began to move the giant tree branch that was on top of the person's leg.

"Ow!" the person wailed as Caleb tried desperately to free them. When the branch was finally out of the way, Caleb grabbed the person's hands and off they ran. They sprinted towards the gates, and they both slipped in easily. Lighting lit up the skies around them, and thunder boomed loudly. When they finally reached the doors, Caleb began to pound on it.

"Celia!" he screamed. Right on que, Celia opened the door.

"Caleb? What are you doing? Who's this?" the young woman asked puzzled as she let the two in.

"No time-have to-before-" the little boy just tried to catch his breath.

"Get upstairs now," Celia whispered quickly. She and Caleb both knew that if the king or queen saw a child from the streets in the castle, they would throw them back into the storm. So Caleb grabbed the child's hand and pulled them up the stairs and to his room. He shut and locked the door.

"There, we're safe now," he smiled. "You can take off that cloak now." So off came the cloak, and a little blonde girl appeared.

"What's your name?" Caleb, who was in a trance, asked. He had never seen a little girl before. But the girl just smiled shyly.

"It's okay, I don't bite," Caleb gently urged.

"My-my name is Hanna."

"Hi, Hanna. I'm Caleb," he said nicely. He was very polite and sophisticated for a seven-year old, despite his parents.

"Hi," she said, still a bit shy.

"What were you doing out there anyway? Where are your parents? Maybe I can get you back?" Caleb asked the frazzled blonde before him.

"My mom died last year, and right after that, my dad sold me to a guy who had me work for him. Then he got someone bigger and stronger than me to work for him, and left me on the side of the road, so I wondered until the storm hit," Hanna explained hesitantly.

"He-he sold you?" the little boy asked in disbelief. Hanna shrugged.

"Yeah, he was never really nice to me or my mommy," she said sadly.

"Well, I think you can live in the castle as a servant, I'm sure my friend Celia will take care of you. She always takes care of me whenever my parents forget about me," Caleb said.

"A-a servant?" Hanna questioned, fear growing in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Caleb asked.

"B-but the last time I served someone I got these," Hanna pushed down the sleeve of her beat-up dress, revealing a great big black and purple bruise.

"Oh my gosh!" Caleb exclaimed. It was then that he noticed her lip had dried blood on it, and her left eye was slightly swollen.

"That's not all," Hanna said. She lifted up the bottom of her dress revealing a huge gash that went from her knee to her ankle.

"D-did the man you work for do this?" Caleb asked. Hanna nodded.

"Now do you see why I don't want to be a servant? I don't want anyone to hurt me," Hanna said softly.

Caleb knew very well, even at seven, that his parents had absolutely no problem hitting servants, even children.

"I'll protect you," he said and smiled. Hanna gave a genuine smile back.

"Thank you, Caleb." She said.

"I think we should go to the hospital wing and get your cut cleaned," Caleb said as he remembered the giant gash.

"Okay."

"Mommy! Daddy!" Aria ran into the throne room where her parents were talking. King Byron sighed.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Ezra stole my shoes!" the little girl cried.

"And what did you do to make him want to do that?" Queen Ella asked.

"All I did was put three frogs under his pillow, but I was just joking!" Aria yelled angrily.

"Aria Montgomery, that is not funny. You go apologize right now," King Byron said sternly.

"But-"

"No buts, Aria. That is a mean thing to do to a boy," Queen Ella said to her daughter. Aria let out a huff before stomping out of the room.

"Oh, Byron, what are we going to do? Aria hates the boy she's betrothed to!" the queen said in distress.

"Relax, Ella. They are but children. As they grow older, their rivalry will end," the king reassured her.

"I sure hope so," Queen Ella said quietly.

"Mama, Papa, we're home," thirteen-year-old Melissa called as her and little Spencer entered the cottage.

"Hello, dearies," Mrs. Hastings was sitting at the table stitching a nightgown. "How was school?"

"It was fine, Mother, but we actually only stopped home to tell you that we're going to spend the afternoon at the park," Melissa said as she packed a basket.

"Oh?" her mother questioned. It was rare when her two girls ran off together.

"I made a friend, Mommy! He's going to the park too!" Spencer exclaimed.

"That's wonderful, Spencer dear! Have a good time, ladies," Veronica smiled at her two daughters.

So the two Hastings girls made their way through the village square and to the small park near the woods.

"Spencer!" called a little boy who was sitting on a blanket.

"Toby!" Spencer's little voice called back. She dropped Melissa's hand and ran over to the boy. The two children then ran off together, playing tag and hide-and-seek. Spencer was having a great time, and so was Toby, but what she didn't know was that he was the prince of Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, in the castle, Emily stood alone in the laundry room, dipping clothing in and out of the large buckets, just as she always did. She took a deep sigh before pinning up the clean clothes on a wired rack. She then took some of the dry clothes already hanging there, and folded them neatly then stacked them in a basket. She took a step back and looked at her work. The only thing left to do was fold and put away the clothes she had just washed, but they wouldn't be dry for hours. She took a deep sigh before drifting over to the window. She looked at the beautiful sunset and sighed. She often wondered why she was stuck inside this castle and not playing outside, being a kid like every other village child. Sure, she had a loving mother-figure and the king and queen treated her well, but she still longed to feel the sun on her face and the grass in her toes. She often considered running away, but couldn't bear to part with Alice.

She stood by the window, lost in thought, before she remembered the piece of paper that was sticking out of her apron pocket. The seven-year-old sighed and pulled it out. She looked over her to-do list, and crossed laundry off. All that was left was serving the family dinner, then cleaning Toby's bedroom.

"Emily?" the door to the laundry opened and Alice walked in. Emily jumped.

"You scared me," the little girl giggled.

"Good!" Alice teased.

"Can I ask you something?" Emily asked suddenly.

"Anything, dear," Alice said and sat down next to her.

"Why can't I go outside?" Emily asked the older woman.

"I really wish you could, Em, but our lives are here, this is where we belong," Alice said and reached for Emily's hand. Emily took it.

"I know, I guess."


	4. Chapter 4

**"****A/N- Sooooo quick clarification here. Last chapter I accidently put Chapter 2 when really it was chapter 3. Sorry if I confused anyone!**

**3 KINGDOMS**

**CHAPTER 4**

**11 years later**

Princess Aria Montgomery, now a beautiful seventeen-year-old, had never been more in love. In her mind she had found the perfect man, Prince Jake of a neighboring kingdom. He and his family were staying in Rosewood for a few weeks to take care of some business, but he and Aria had fallen in love. And that was exactly the problem for the king and queen. She was almost eighteen, and that's when she was to inherit the kingdom.

Queen Ella and King Byron watched sadly as Princess Aria and Prince Jake strolled through the beautiful garden, hand in hand, gazing into each other's eyes.

"Oh, Byron. Our poor baby! She's going to have to give up that boy, and she doesn't even know it!" the queen wiped a tear as she watched her daughter.

"I know, Ella. But that's just one of the sacrifices a queen must make," King Byron said sadly.

"I can't take this anymore. We're telling her right now," Queen Ella turned her back to the window and walked over to a group of servants that were talking.

"Would one of you please go send for Aria?" she asked.

"Of course, my queen," one said and bowed.

"Thank you," the queen whispered, and the servants all exchanged worried glances.

"Jake, promise me we'll be together forever," Aria said as the two sat down on a bench, hand in hand.

"I promise it. I'll marry you and you can be my queen, and I'll be your king. We'll make a family together, and have children running around the castle, and we'll grow old together," Jake said and stared into Aria's gorgeous hazel eyes.

"Oh, Jake," Aria whispered and the two kissed passionately.

Aria had never been so happy, but their moment was interrupted by the servant clearing his throat.

"May I help you?" Aria asked as they pulled away, slightly annoyed that their sweet moment was interrupted.

"The king and queen request your presence, your highness," the servant said and bowed. Aria sighed before standing up and pecking Jake on the cheek.

"I'll be back soon," she whispered.

PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL

"Hello, Mother, Father," Aria said dreamily as she strolled into the cozy living room that had a fireplace and several arm chairs.

"Have a seat, Aria," Queen Ella said with no emotion. Having this conversation was breaking her heart.

"Is something wrong?" Aria asked as she sat in a red velvet chair.

"Aria, we're going to get straight to the point," King Byron said. Aria sat up a little straighter.

"You can't see that boy anymore," Queen Ella said, and her heart broke as she saw a tear well up in Aria's eye.

"W-why not? Don't you like Jake?" Aria asked, trying not to burst out in tears.

"No, we do like him," the king sad.

"Than what's the problem?" Aria asked, very confused.

"Aria, honey, I hate- I hate having to do this to you," Queen Ella couldn't take it anymore and burst out crying. King Byron rubbed her back sadly.

"Mom, Dad, what's going on?" Aria asked seriously.

"W-what your mother is trying to tell you is that- is that we had to betroth you when you were a baby," King Byron explained and the queen started crying harder. Aria froze. Her heart stopped. Her vision began getting blurry. The only thing she could hear was heart shattering. She felt like she had just gotten hit by a bus.

"T-to who?" she asked when she could finally manage speaking.

"That servant boy, Ezra," the king said hesitantly. Aria no longer felt sad, now incredibly angry.

"I hate him! He's such a jerk and a bad man! I have to marry him? How could you do this to me?!" Aria shot out of her seat and glared angrily at her parents. Her mother just cried.

"Aria, you were not a week old when we had to betroth you. He comes from a good family that we trust. We had absolutely no idea you two would dislike one another. So sit down and watch your tongue. We feel bad enough already," King Byron told his daughter sternly. Aria sat back down and took a moment to gather herself.

"You're right. You were only trying to do the best thing for me. I'm sorry I yelled," Aria said and looked at the floor.

"The way you're reacting is understandable, sweetheart. We're just very sorry this happened," King Byron said. Aria forced a fake smile before bursting out in tears again.

"J-Jake," she managed to sputter through the tears.

"We can tell him," Queen Ella said. Aria sniffled.

"No. I'll do it," she said before crying again and running out of the room.

PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL

Jake was growing worried. Aria had been gone a long time. He sighed with relief when he saw her running over. He stood up, and that's when he noticed she was sobbing.

"Aria? What's wrong?" he asked in a panic. She fell into his arms and sobbed into his chest.

"We-we can't see each other anymore," she choked out.

"W-what?" he asked in disbelief.

"I'm betrothed," she said and cried harder. Jake's heart broke. He felt like his whole world came crashing down.

"I think you should go home," she cried before running away.

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The royal Rivers family sat around a long table, waiting for the servants to bring them dinner. The king sat at the head of the table with his wife on his left and Caleb on his right. Caleb had grown into quite the young man. He had handsome features and was incredibly polite, and every single girl in Ravenswood drooled over him.

But unfortunately for them, his heart already belonged to someone, and that someone was Hanna Marin. The two had been best friends since Caleb rescued her when they were young, and had fallen in love when they were sixteen. Now they were handling a forbidden love, secret from everyone. At certain points during the day, when Hanna wasn't busy and Caleb wasn't getting screamed at by his parents, they would sneak off together. And at night, Hanna would come to his room and the two would lay talking for hours until Hanna went off to the servant's quarters. Caleb, turning eighteen and inheriting the throne soon, was sure he wanted Hanna for his queen.

"What on earth is taking our lousy servants so long?" the queen asked impatiently. At that moment, Hanna and three other servants came in holding trays.

"Good evening, your majesty's. for tonight's dinner, our chefs have cooked you a vegetable salad for a side dish, a chicken breast and mashed potatoes for your entrée, and chocolate mousse for dessert, which will be out after dinner," Hanna said. She laid salad dishes on each of the family member's spots, and Caleb squeezed her hand when she got to his. She shot him a quick smile before heading out of the room. The entrée was put at their spots, and the rest of the servants left.

"So Caleb," the queen took a bite of her salad before continuing. "You're turning seventeen in two weeks, right?"

"Eighteen, mother," Caleb corrected politely.

"Whatever. My point is, you should be searching for a wife," the queen said. Caleb gulped. He knew his parents wouldn't approve of him marrying a servant, although that's what he intended on doing. But for now, he decided to keep his mouth shut about his love interest.

"Yes, Mother," Caleb said simply.

"I have decided to take you to a ball up in Rosewood. Their princess is getting married or something, I don't know. The point is, there will be woman there that you can meet and choose from," his mother said. Caleb got a foul taste in his mouth. He didn't want anybody else, he only wanted Hanna.

"Okay, Mother," Caleb said and looked at the floor.

"Look at your mother when you're speaking!" his father scolded him.

"Sorry, Dad," Caleb said and sat up straighter. The king rolled his eyes.

"Caleb, we've been over this. You are to call me Father or Sir, understood?" the king said sternly.

"Yes, sir," Caleb muttered.

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Caleb laid in his bed later that night thinking about the discussion at dinner. He had to figure out a way to get Hanna into that ball as well. He was thinking of this when his door slowly creaked open, and Hanna stood there in her shabby night gown.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," he whispered back, and scotched over in his bed, making room for her to lay down. She walked over there quietly and got under his covers.

"Hanna, you're shivering!" Caleb hugged her body close to his.

"Your parents didn't like the food, so they ordered all of the fires and candles and small heaters in the servant's quarters to be extinguished. It's less than twenty degrees in there," Hanna explained. Caleb got angry with his parents, once again. The servants were all good people. Some of them are even children. They didn't deserve this.

"You must spend the night in here. I won't allow you to sleep like that," he said.

"But what if we get caught?" Hanna whispered.

"Then I'll own up to it. They say I have to choose a woman, so I'd tell them that you're my choice. It's not like they can take the throne away from me, I don't have any siblings," Caleb said confidently.

"But they'll abuse you if they find out you're with me. They'll treat you even worse," Hanna said quietly.

"It'll be worth it," Caleb whispered and pressed a light kiss on Hanna's lips.

"So, my parents said I have to go to a ball in Rosewood to search for a woman, and I fully intend on you coming too," Caleb said and smiled.

"How?" Hanna said doubtfully.

"I can tell my parents that I'm just bringing you to help me out, you know, with dressing and such," Caleb said excitedly. Hanna nodded.

"Sounds alright," she said. Caleb kissed the top of her head.

"I love you so much, Hanna," Caleb whispered.

"I love you too, Caleb," she said and snuggled close to him. She then leaned in to kiss him. She loved his kisses. He was never rough, or did anything Hanna wasn't ready for. He was the perfect man, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

**A/N- I hope you guys all enjoyed! The next chapter will talk about Spoby and Emily. And just to clear things up, I am totally TEAM EZRIA for life, I'm only adding Jake in for purposes that you will find out later. Thanks for reading, and please review! Tell me if you like it and/or what I can improve on!**


	5. Chapter 5

**3 KINGDOMS**

**CHAPTER 5**

Ever since Spencer and Toby had been little, they had been very good friends. Spencer always felt that the other village girls didn't like her because she was different. She was smarter, wasn't as girly, and wasn't head-over-heels for that handsome prince that everyone talks about. She often kept to herself, except when she was around Toby. After being friends with him for over ten years, she still didn't know his big secret: that he was the handsome prince that everyone talks about. She would confide in him about everything, from problems at home to being bullied by the other village girls. Toby, being the gentleman he is, would sit back and listen to her talk and comfort her.

Toby, on the other hand, thought of Spencer as a lot more than his best friend. He was in love with her, but she didn't know it. He had tried to tell her so many times, but would always end up chickening out. Since he was turning eighteen before long, his parents told him to be in search of a wife. He was one of the lucky princes that didn't have to be betrothed. He wanted Spencer as his queen, but he didn't even know if she loved him back. Maybe she only thought of them as friends, nothing more. But every time they got together lately, Toby couldn't even focus. He was so entranced by her beauty and charm. He knew that every day he was falling more and more in love with her, but she showed absolutely no signs of loving him back. This was frustrating him, and he knew he was going to have to tell her soon if he was to have any kind of a chance with him.

Toby sat on a blanket, wearing his peasant disguise, with a basket next to him, waiting for Spencer to arrive.

"Hey, Tobes," came a familiar voice. Toby turned his head to see the beautiful brunette headed his way.

"Hey, Spence," he smiled and slid over on the blanket. Spencer was wearing a lavender dress with capped sleeves and a white bonnet. By the looks of her, Toby figured she had just left church. It was Sunday, after all.

"So what did you bring for lunch?" she asked as she sat down. Toby opened the basket and pulled out the cinnamon bread the cooks had made for him.

"That looks delicious. It must be nice having the best bakers in Philadelphia for parents," Spencer said.

"It sure is," Toby lied. He hated lying to her, but she couldn't know the truth. As much as he trusted her, he was forbidden to speak a word of his secret to anyone.

"So I've been thinking," Spencer started as she took a bite of her bread. "I've been wanting to go to the nicer parts of Philadelphia. You know, up by the castle and stuff," she said. Toby gulped. He didn't like the idea of her near the castle. It could expose his secret, and she would be furious at him for not coming clean.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why not? I've been saving up all my money for a telescope I saw in a shop up there. So I think I'm going to go down there for the parade tomorrow. Do you want to come?" she asked him. He gulped even harder. He was supposed to be _walking _in that parade. Spencer couldn't come and watch it. Sure, Toby was actually Tobias in the castle, and looked like a completely different person, but someone like Spencer, who's known him forever, could recognize him.

"You can't go to that parade!" he blurted. Spencer raised an eyebrow at his outburst.

"And why not?" she questioned.

"Well, uh-" he tried desperately to think of something.

"I think it's going to rain tomorrow," he made up. "I would hate for you to get stuck out there."

"That's where you're wrong, Tobes. If you feel the density in the air and the way the clouds look…" she rambled on about how it was not going to rain tomorrow, and Toby just tried to think of something else, to no avail. He just decided he was going to look _extra _different tomorrow.

"So that's how we know it won't rain tomorrow," she finished finally. "So, are you coming or not?"

"I'm sorry, I can't. I'm supposed to be taking care of my grandmother tomorrow," Toby lied again.

"I understand. I'll just see if Melissa wants to come with me," Spencer said. Toby let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't pressed him with questions.

"In other news, I have decided to write the prince a letter," Spencer said, changing the subject.

"What about?" Toby asked, slightly amused.

"I have family and friends outside of Philadelphia, and we write. They say that their kingdom's king and queen are thinking about cutting ties with our kingdom. But the kingdom that they're from provide things that we need, life all the meat and warm clothing. I don't think the royal family knows this, and I know that the prince will be taking over soon, so I decided to tell him instead of the king. Maybe the prince can persuade the other kingdom," Spencer said. Toby smiled. He loved it when she talked. She just sounded intelligent. He almost didn't catch what she said, but hey, he would be getting a letter from her soon.

"I'm sure the prince will appreciate it," he said.

Back at the castle, Emily was washing dishes, like always.

"Hey, Em," Alice said as she walked into the kitchen.

"Hey," Emily said and smiled.

"The head chef says that we're out of bread, so would you mind heading out to grab some?" Alice asked. Emily smiled. She loved being able to get out of the castle every now and again.

"Of course," she answered, before leaving the dishes.

"Be back soon, okay?" Alice said as Emily left the room.

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Emily left the castle and began to make her way to the farmer's market. She took in the delicious smell that she could smell from far away. She closed her eyes and felt the wind against her face. This was the only time Emily even went outside.

She was taking in the moment when all of a sudden, she felt something hard smack into her, and she went down hard.

"Ouch," she mumbled as she rubbed her head. She looked up and saw another young woman also on the ground.

"Oh my goodness, I'm terribly sorry!" Emily said as she stood up and helped the other girl to her feet.

"Oh, it's fine," she said and smiled. Emily had never seen anyone so beautiful. She was entranced.

"I'm so sorry, sometimes I just get lost in my own head," Emily said as she brushed off her back side.

"Don't worry about it! I'm Paige, by the way. Paige McCullers," the girl said and smiled a beautiful smile.

"I'm Emily. Emily Fields," Emily said and stuck out her hand. Paige shook it, then picked up the bags that she dropped.

"I'm very sorry, but I must get home. It was nice bumping into you, and I hope I see you soon," Paige said.

"Definitely," Emily said and smiled. She turned around and continued to the market, but she couldn't stop thinking about this girl. She got butterflies in her stomach when she talked to her. Was she- no. she was supposed to like men, right? What was wrong with her? Was she really- _in love with a woman?_

**A/N- So now I threw Paige into the mix. These first few chapters are more for setting up the story, but it'll get more interesting starting next chapter. Thank you all so much for reading, and please tell me you thoughts!**


	6. Chapter 6

**3 KINGDOMS**

**CHAPTER 6**

Princess Aria Montgomery was devastated. She was hardly eating. She hardly came out of her room. She was just plain heartbroken.

Ezra Fitz had only just found out also. He was taking it better, but not well. He went on with his normal daily routine, but was not the happy and nice gentleman everyone had come to know and love. He kept his head down and his eyes fixed on whatever he was doing, and barely said a word to any one.

Aria and Ezra had still not come face to face since they each found out. They hated each other. _Hated. _

The kingdom was having a royal ball in honor of the marriage that was to happen soon after Aria turned eighteen. They were to announce their engagement to all of the neighboring kingdoms and honored guests. So today was the day the two betrothed had to meet and discuss the ball. They both were absolutely dreading it. They had been purposely avoiding each other, but they were just delaying the inevitable.

Aria sat on her bed reading a book. Her hair was a mess and she was still wearing her nightgown even though it was nearly noon.

"And then, the beautiful princess married the handsome prince. And they both lived happily ever after," she read aloud in frustration. She slammed her book shut and rose from her bed. She slumped over to her large and luxurious balcony that over looked the castle's garden and grassy field. Her eyes wandered around. It was an absolutely beautiful day, but she saw no beauty in it. To her, it was just one day closer to the dreaded marriage. She let out a breathy sigh, and looked over the beautiful garden. Her attention was caught when she noticed a young man, a servant, wandering through the flowered section of the garden, a pair of scissors in his hand. She watched as the young man snipped a red rose, then another, then another. The man then pulled a silky ribbon out of his pocket and neatly tied a bow around the flowers. Aria smiled slightly. He was obviously going to a girl. Her smile immediately disappeared when the man turned around to walk back into the castle.

The man was Ezra, and those roses were for her. She gasped as she realized he was coming up to talk with her. She didn't care who it was, she was NOT going to be seen like this. So she darted to her closet and threw on a pale pink dress, but it still needed to be tied onto her. So she went to the door of her room and called to the nearest servant. So the servant came inside Aria's room, tied up her dress (as Aria sucked in as hard as she could). Aria then scurried to her bathroom, put her hair in a neat ponytail tied with a ribbon, and finished just in time to hear a knock on her door. She quickly sat down on her sofa.

"Enter," she said in her best queen voice. The door creaked open, and, sure enough, Ezra stood there with a bouquet in his hand. And he did not look happy to be there.

"Aria," he said and stared into her eyes.

"Ezra," she said, avoiding his. He walked over to her sofa and stuck out the bouquet without a word.

"Thanks" Aria said with no emotion as she took them and set them on a stool. "Sit." Ezra sat down.

"Let's get this over with," Aria said as she picked up a piece of paper. "First item on the list is musicians." Ezra looked confused.

"Don't you know any violinists or anything?" Aria asked him, a bit stunned.

"Nope," he said and shot her a smile that was full of pride. Aria rolled her eyes.

"Then I'll decide that. Next is what food we want served," Aria said with a bit of mockery in her voice.

"I think simple, like a nice soup and a bread," Ezra said. Aria gave him a questioning look.

"Simple and ball do not go together. I think we should have a great buffet with every food known to this earth on it. And of course a whole separate buffet for dessert," Aria said. Really, she kind of liked his idea of simplicity, but she was too stubborn to have him think that they were agreeing on something. Ezra sighed.

"Whatever you want, Princess," he said and smirked. Aria bit her lip.

"Don't call me that," she said through gritted teeth. Ezra smirked again.

"Of course," he said. Aria was satisfied with his answer so she turned back to her paper. "Princess," he added quietly. Aria, who wanted to slap him, decided to be the bigger person and let it go.

Aria went through the rest of the list, getting her way most of the time. There was brief bickering throughout, but they finally finished and neither of them had hit the other.

"Alright, you can leave now," Aria said and pointed at the door.

"Gladly," Ezra said and shot up from the couch. He made his way towards the door, but abruptly stopped before leaving.

"Look, Aria. I know you and I have had our differences, but I'm willing to give this a try if you are," he said. Aria was not prepared for that, so she just slowly nodded. Ezra smiled ever so slightly.

"Then I'll start," he cleared his throat jokingly.

"Aria, you look beautiful," he said, maybe even a little bit sincerely. Aria smiled a tad little bit.

"Thank you for the flowers. I love them," she said.

"Alright, at least we're not fighting anymore. I'll see you tomorrow," he smiled, and left. As soon as he was gone, Aria flopped on her bed in the most un-lady-like way. She had to admit that he was a very handsome young man. She also had to admit that that was nowhere near as bad as she thought it would be.

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Hanna woke up in Caleb's strong arms. This was the first time since she was seven that she had slept outside of her small room in the servant's quarters. She was a bit startled by her unfamiliar surroundings, until the memories from the previous night came flooding back. She smiled, and shifted herself around so her head was nudged into Caleb's chest. The movement must have disturbed him, because she heard him let out a groan and move around a bit. She immediately felt guilty. She hadn't meant to wake him.

"Good morning, beautiful," he whispered into her hair.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. You can go back to sleep," Hanna whispered back.

"And miss a precious moment of being with you?" he smiled at her. She smiled back.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Hanna grinned and rested her head on his chest. He ruffled her short blonde hair, and they enjoyed this sweet moment. Unfortunately, their moment was interrupted by the sound of loud footsteps from outside in the hallway.

"Quick! Get down!" Caleb said, and Hanna ducked under the covers and inched her way towards the end of the bed, when suddenly the door flew open.

"Rise and shine, Caleb! You've got a guest!" his mother exclaimed when she entered the room. Her eyes suddenly darted to the lump on the bed that was Hanna.

"Did that lump on your bed just move?" she asked questioningly.

"Yes, mother, it's a pillow and I accidently kicked it," Caleb said calmly but nervously. A smile crept onto his mother's face.

"Caleb, is there a girl under there?" his mother said suspiciously. Hanna screamed internally.

"No, of course not, mother," Caleb stammered.

"Well let me see for myself," his mother said, and started pulling the covers off of the bed.

_This is it. It's time to fess up. _Caleb thought and prepared himself. He shut his eyes tight.

"Oh, I guess you weren't lying," his mother said a bit disappointed.

"Huh?" Caleb thought aloud as he sat up. He looked by his feet and realized that instead of Hanna, a pillow was laying there.

"Well, get up anyways. You have a meeting with the guest," the queen said and exited the room, slamming the door behind her. Caleb exhaled loudly.

"Han?" he called.

"That was way too close!" Came her familiar voice. Caleb looked down, and she crawled out from under the bed.

"How on Earth did you get down there so fast?" Caleb asked, chuckling a little. Hanna shrugged.  
>"I don't know," she said and laughed. Caleb laughed along with her.<p>

"And by the way, I have an idea of how we can get married without any problems," Caleb raised an eyebrow mischievously. Hanna smiled and raised hers back.

"And how is that, your majesty?"

**A/N- Only one more chapter until all of the girls meet each other! Hope you all enjoyed! Please review! Next chapter at 15 reviews : )**


	7. Chapter 7

**3 KINGDOMS** **CHAPTER 7** Toby stood in his enormous bedroom surrounded by servants and stylists before the big parade.

"Can you put some extra gel in my hair today, and slick it back a little bit?" he asked the stylist. He was trying extra hard to look different, knowing that Spencer and Melissa would be in the crowd.

"Your wish is my command, your highness," the stylist said and squirted a blob of gel into Toby's hair. After that was taken care of, the stylists moved on to his closet.

"Do you have preference of what you want to wear, my prince?" another stylist asked. Toby usually answered this question with a no, but today was different.

"I want something that really covers me up, like some kind of a turtleneck or something," he answered. The stylist pulled out a royal blue turtle neck vest and a poofy-ish white blouse.

"Is this alright?" the stylist asked. "Perfect," Toby said and smiled.

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"Come on Spencer, the parade is starting!" Melissa grabbed Spencer's hand and pulled her towards the front of the crowd.

"What's your hurry?" Spencer asked, a bit annoyed. "I must see the prince. I hear he is handsome beyond belief!" Melissa gave a girly squeal, one that Spencer absolutely hated. But in this case, it was her sister, so she could deal with it. The two Hastings sisters watched the parade, as boring things came down the road.

"Oh, look!" Melissa exclaimed and pointed to the fancy carriages approaching. Royal trumpets blared, and the king and queen, sitting in a carriage drawn by white horses. But they were hardly a sight compared to what came behind them. The handsome prince rode on a black mare, waving to the crowd. Lots of oohs and ahhs escaped people's lips, but Toby wasn't listening. He was scanning the crowd for Spencer. He didn't know why he wanted to find her so badly, he just did. So finally, when he was nearing the end of the loop back to the castle, he spotted her. She looked so beautiful to him. She was looking down, counting the money in her hands, and Melissa was waving rapidly at him. He held his breath when he saw Spencer look up. He smiled and waved to all the people on the other side of the street. When he turned back to the adjacent side, Spencer was looking at her money again. He let out a sigh of relief. She still didn't know.

After the parade was over, Spencer made her way through the large crowds and towards the castle, while Melissa shopped in the little boutiques. She pushed past everyone, and finally made it to the gates.

"Can I help you?" a guard asked as she approached the gates.

"I have a letter here for Prince Tobias," Spencer said and held up the neatly written letter.

"I'm sorry, but he does not accept fan mail," the guard told her.

"This isn't fan mail. It's a serious manner regarding other kingdoms," Spencer said and handed the guard the letter. He read it over, then handed it back to her.

"Okay, so what you're going to want to do is go around to the back, and give them this," the guard said and wrote up a note. "They'll let you in and you can give it to them, and they'll give it to the prince," he said and handed her the note.

"Okay, thank you," Spencer said and began making her way to the back. The crowds were still incredibly large, and it was a struggle to get through them.

"Watch out!" came a loud voice. Spencer turned her head, but it was too late. A teenager on a wood scooter smacked into her and knocked her down. She would have been fine, but the hand holding the letter ended up in a puddle.  
>"Oh no!" Spencer cried and tried to blow it off, but it only fell apart. She pondered on what to do, and decided to go to the back anyway. The note that the guard had given her was still fine, so maybe the staff could relay a message to the prince. So she made her way to the back, where smaller and less fancy gates stood. She rang the doorbell, and soon a servant woman came out of the castle and down to the gates.<p>

"Can I help you?" she asked. Spencer noticed that pretty much all of the staff greeted with that.

"I had written a letter to Prince Tobias, but here was an accident, and it was destroyed," she said and held up the torn pieces of paper. "But the guard out front gave me a note," she added, and handed the servant the note. She looked it over.

"We're going to have to check you for weapons, but if you're clean you can come in and tell the prince what was in that letter," the servant said.

"Alright," Spencer said. So after she was brought inside and checked for weapons, a maid led her to Toby's room.

"You can wait on that sofa, Miss. I believe he is just changing clothes and will be out soon," the maid said. She then walked over to the walk-in closet where Toby was changing. "You have a guest, your highness," she said and left. He sighed. Hopefully this would be his only meeting for today. He put on some comfortable clothes and messed his hair up. The gel was getting on his last nerve. So he walked out of the closet and his heart stopped beating when he saw who was sitting there. Spencer, who was even more shocked, felt like she had just gotten hit by a bus. She wasn't sure what to think. Her mouth was wide open, and she couldn't speak.

"Spencer, I can explain," Toby finally managed to get out. Spencer stared into his eyes.

"You-you've been lying to me all this time?" Spencer asked, and a tear formed in her eye. Toby's heart broke. This was not how he wanted her to find out.

"I had reasons, Spencer. Please hear me out," he tried.

"No! Get away from me! I don't ever want to see you again!" Spencer yelled, and sprinted out of the bedroom. Toby ran after her.

"Wait, Spencer!" he cried desperately.

"Get away!" she screamed, alerting the servants. But none of them were quite sure what to do. Spencer bolted out the door she had come in at, and took off down the street. Toby ran out to the stables.

"I need a horse!" he yelled frantically. He was not about to lose the best thing that had ever happened to him. A stableman brought out a brown horse that was already ready to go. "Thanks," Toby said as he mounted and took off towards the gates. "Everyone, make way!" he yelled as he went through the gates and in the direction of Spencer's house. Everyone ran out of the way when they saw who he was.

Meanwhile, Spencer had already grabbed Melissa and the two were rushed on their horses back home. "So, why did I have to stop shopping and why are we going as fast as we can back home?" Melissa shouted over all of the wind.

"I'll explain everything at home," Spencer shouted back. She was still devastated. If her so-called best friend couldn't tell her his biggest secret, what else had he been hiding? He had lied about his name, his parents, his home, and his life. Spencer felt like she had no idea who he even was. But she couldn't bear to see him again.

Soon after, the Hastings girls arrived home. To Spencer's pleasure, her parents weren't home. She ran inside and sat down. She wanted to cry, but no tears came out. She stared blankly into space. Toby was her only friend, and he was lost. She wasn't even sure what to do with herself now. She had no friends. None. She was thinking about this when rapid pounding came from the door. Melissa had said that she was going to give Spencer a little space, so she figured it was just her coming back home. So she got up and slumped over to the door and opened it.

"Spencer, let me explain," Toby stood there, sweaty and out of breath.

"Explain what? That the only friend I've ever had has been lying to me since the moment we met?" she shot at him.

"Spence, please let me in," Toby's voice softened. Spencer thought for a moment.

"Fine, you have five minutes," she sighed and let him in. The two sat down on at the kitchen table.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I had reasons," he started.

"And what were they? You thought I'd go blabbing to all my friends? Oh wait, I didn't have any friends," Spencer spat.

"No! That's not it at all! If someone were to find out that you were close with me, you would have been an easy target to someone who wants money," he tried. Spencer rolled her eyes.

"Why do you even want to protect me? I think I can handle myself pretty well," Spencer said.

"I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you," Toby said truthfully. The anger in Spencer's eyes disappeared, and they softened a bit.

"Why?"

Toby took a deep breath. This was it. The moment he'd been preparing for. He was about to tell her.

"Because I love you, Spencer," he said and stared into her brown eyes. A shocked expression consumed her face.

"You-you what?" she asked in disbelief.

"I love you," he said a bit more confidently, and before he knew it, Spencer's lips were crashed into his.

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As much as Emily tried, she could not stop thinking about the beauty she met at the farmer's market. She was confused. Now that she had thought about it, she never had any feelings for a man. A woman was not supposed to love a woman. But what else was she feeling? She was pondering this, when the door to her small bedroom swung open.

"Emily, the king and queen request you," her friend and fellow servant Lucas told her.

"Okay, thank you," Emily said. Lucas walked away, and Emily fixed herself up a bit. As a servant, she didn't own much, but she did have a hairbrush. So she stroked her dark hair before setting out for the throne room.

"Good afternoon, sir, ma'am," Emily said as she entered the throne room and curtsied.

"Hello, Emily. I'll bet you're wondering why we summoned you," the queen said. "Yes, your highness," Emily answered.

"Tomorrow, Tobias, my husband and I are setting out for Rosewood. They're having a ball to announce the engagement of their princess. We were hoping you would come along to help us out a bit with, you know, stuff you usually do around a here like laundry and such. Are you willing to do that? If you're not comfortable leaving the castle, just let us know," the queen said. Emily's stomach leapt. She had never been outside of Philadelphia before, and she had heard that Rosewood was quite beautiful.

"Of course, your highnesses. Shall I go gather my things?" she asked in her best suck-up servant voice.

"Yes please, and thank you," The king said. Emily curtsied once more before rushing back to her small bedroom. She was happy about leaving for two reasons: one, just to get out, and two, to get her mind off that beauty that had made her rethink her entire life. **A/N- woah cliffhanger for you spoby lovers! Thanks again for reading, and please review! Tell me what you like and don't like ;) chapter 8 will be up at 25 reviews!**


	8. Chapter 8

**3 KINGDOMS**

**CHAPTER 8**

Spencer pulled away from the kiss and immediately felt guilty. She just couldn't resist.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," Spencer said and avoided eye contact. Toby smiled.

"Does this mean you love me too?" he asked her. She slowly nodded.

"I've never been in love before, but I'm pretty sure this is what it feels like," Spencer said and looked at the floor.

This time, Toby couldn't resist. He gently lifted her chin and brought his lips to hers. She was surprised at first, but quickly eased into it.

"So does this mean I'm forgiven?" Toby asked when they pulled away. Spencer thought for a moment.

"Yes," she said finally and smiled. Toby gave a relieved smile back.

"Good, and on that note, I have a question to ask," he said. Spencer raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Tomorrow, I'm going to a ball up in Rosewood. Would you please come and be my date?" Toby asked shyly. Spencer's smile faded.

"You mean, with princesses and royalty and stuff?" she asked with a slight frown.

"Yeah, but you'll be fine, and my family will love you. Also, my mom is going to ask my friend Emily, who's a servant in the castle, to come too. She's the same age as us, and she'll at least be someone you can hang around with, since she's not royalty or anything," Toby said. Spencer thought about it for a few moments.

"Okay, I'll do it."

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The next day, the kingdom of Rosewood was preparing for the big ball. All of the servants were hard at work, and to Ezra, it was weird that he was not working with them as he always did. Instead, he was in Aria's bedroom, stylists surrounding him.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed when one accidently stabbed him with a needle. He was standing on a stool in a fancy suit, and all kinds of tailors were making final adjustments.

"Sorry, Sir," he said and continued sewing.

Aria was across the room. She was also standing on a stool with tailors surrounding her. She was a bit more used to it, so she did not cry in pain when she accidently got stabbed or when her dress was pulled tight.

A long screen was set up in between the two, so neither one of them had any idea what was going on on the other side.

"Do you have a preference of how you want your hair, mistress?" a stylist asked Aria.

"I think I want loose curls in a half up-half down," she said after thinking it over.

"Of course," the woman answered and got to work.

So they put the big curlers in Aria's hair, and got started on her makeup.

She had the best stylists around, and she had makeup sent from near and far. They took light brushes and put on this stuff called eye shadow, and then used something kind of like black ink for her eyelashes.

Finally, they took the curlers out of her hair, and the beautiful curls fell over her shoulders. They put up the top half, and stuck in a silk ribbon.

"Alright, Princess Aria is ready!" a stylist called to the other side of the screen.

"And so is he!" a voice called back. The screen was pushed out of the way, and Aria and Ezra faced each other. They were both speechless.

"Wow," Ezra finally managed to get out. Aria was wearing a cherry red halter dress with a black ribbon tied around her waist, and a matching ribbon in her hair. She was wearing black flats, and her red lips matched her dress perfectly. She looked absolutely stunning.

"You're not too bad yourself," Aria said and examined her fiancée. He was wearing a black jacket and black pants. His hair was also combed neatly. He looked simple, yet sharp.

"So, are you ready to do this?" Aria asked him.

"As I'll ever be," he sighed.

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"Are you sure this is going to work?" Hanna asked doubtfully.

"Of course!" Caleb said reassuringly. Their plan was for Hanna to get her hair and makeup done, and Caleb was going to pretend to meet her at the ball. He would introduce her to his parents, and bam, he's got his bride.

Caleb had brought Hanna along as a servant, but the two had snuck away to Caleb's guest bedroom in the castle. Caleb had managed to take some of his mother's fancy makeup and hair supplies, and Hanna was applying them to herself.

"Does this look alright?" Hanna asked and faced Caleb. He smiled. For never having even looked at makeup before, she did an excellent job.

"You look amazing, and I'm not just saying that," Caleb said truthfully. She had also brushed her hair so it was very neat and sleek.

"Wait, what am I going to wear? I don't have any fancy dresses," Hanna said in a panic. Caleb smiled.

"I have a surprise for you," he said and opened the large closet. Hanna gasped as he pulled out a beautiful turquoise dress, complete with rhinestones. It was a stunning dress; it had mid-length sleeves that opened up into a drape at the elbow. It also had lace going all the way around her mid-section, and laced up in the back.

"Oh my goodness, Caleb, I-how did-oh, thank you!" Hanna said and ran into his arms. He hugged her back, before they kissed passionately.

"Where did you get this?" she asked when they broke apart.

"I had Celia and her friends make it for you," he said. She hugged him again.

"Thank you so much!" she said.

"I'm glad you like it! Now, go put it on," Caleb said. Hanna took the dress from him and hurried into the large closet.

She came out several minutes later, and Caleb's jaw nearly fell off. She was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen. And, she would be unrecognizable to his parents.

"You look absolutely amazing," Caleb said and wrapped his arm around her waist. She blushed.

"Now let's get to the ballroom. I think it's starting soon."

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It took a lot for Spencer to convince her parents to let her come to Rosewood, but they finally came around. Toby's family couldn't have been more welcoming to her, and she was very grateful. Just like Toby had predicted, Spencer and Emily became good friends. They sat by each other the whole carriage ride, and Emily was currently helping Spencer get ready.

"This looks so beautiful on you," Emily commented as she laced Spencer up in a beautiful dark purple dress. It had a scoop neckline, a fitted waist, and big tooling on the skirt.

"Stop," Spencer said seriously. Emily looked confused.

"What?" Emily asked.

"All the girls back at home tell me that dresses look awkward and stupid on me. It's nice of you, but you don't have to tell me I look good," Spencer told her.

"But it really does look beautiful on you!" Emily said truthfully. Spencer blushed.

"You really think I look pretty?" she asked doubtfully.

"Yes, and I'm sure Toby will too," Emily said. Spencer blushed again.

Next, her stylists took over and got to work on her hair and makeup. Spencer had never had either of them done before, and, as much as she hated to admit it, she enjoyed being princessed for a while. When she was finished, she stared into the mirror. She didn't recognize the girl staring back at her.

"How-how did you do that?" she asked her stylists in disbelief. They smiled back at her.

"Get out there, Spencer. There's a prince waiting for you," Emily said and pushed Spencer out of her chair. Emily led her to the door of the room, where Toby was waiting on the other side.

"You ready?" Emily asked with a smile. Spencer just smiled excitedly, and Emily pushed open the door.

Toby nearly fainted when he saw the girl in front of her.

"Spence-is that you?" he joked, but a little seriously. She was the most gorgeous and precious thing he had ever laid eyes on. Spencer blushed.

"Shut up," she said and smacked him playfully. He laughed.

"Ready to get to that ball?" he asked and held out his arm. Spencer slipped her hand around it.

"Yes."

**A/N- ok, so I lied. I had originally planned for the girls to meet in this chapter, but I didn't really fit just yet. But hey, Spencer and Emily met!**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and please leave me review! Each and every reviews brighten my day : ) chapter 9 at 35 reviews!**


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